


The Hurt Which Binds Us

by Nimz



Category: GOT7
Genre: Gen, I'm Sorry, Like really angsty, this is angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 10:31:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7504855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nimz/pseuds/Nimz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jackson doesn't like seeing his friends upset.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hurt Which Binds Us

Plane trips back to Korea from wherever they had currently been were usually always quiet; everyone was exhausted and trying to catch up on sleep or just wanted to be by themselves. But this one, the one back from Los Angeles... Jackson had purposefully taken one back earlier than the rest to avoid those long hours of tension he knew would overwhelm him. Mark wasn't there when he had to leave, as he was still at his parents' house, so Jackson said goodbye to the rest, taking a longer moment to say goodbye to BamBam. He noticed his fingers shaking as he locked his phone before looking up at Jackson and the way his eyes looked at him, hesitation and fear etched in them and his features, knowing the younger one had probably been glancing at social media even though their manager told him not to. Jackson swallowed thickly and hugged BamBam a little tighter, a little longer, and gave him a smile that held a promise of better days before he was forced to leave. He did send a text message to Mark on the ride to the airport but turned his phone off immediately after. He'd check it when he landed back in Korea.

Waiting in that dorm for them to come back made him anxious and scatter-brained, and when the manager with him told him the group would be back in less than a half hour, Jackson holed himself up in his and Jaebum's shared room so he didn't have to see them come in. So he didn't have to feel the tension. He heard the door open though silence followed it, only Yugyeom's whispered conversation to Youngjae barely heard as they passed the door. Jaebum finally entered the room, only giving Jackson a brief nod before busying himself to unpacking his suitcase. Jackson got up and left then to give him some space and patted Junior on the shoulder as they passed each other on his way to Mark's room.

He found the older one sitting on the edge of his bed, phone clenched tightly in one hand while the other held his head up under his chin with his elbow propped on his left leg. His right was was bouncing up and down, a sign Jackson knew was nerves though he couldn't see the older one's face as his hood was still up and the mask still over his mouth. “Mark.” He said quietly, trying not to startle him.

He didn't answer him, head still forward and his thumb swiping up on his phone screen.

Jackson tried again. “Mar-”

“Leave me alone, Jackson.” His voice was tense and Jackson could hear the anger in it.

So Jackson left him alone. He walked quietly out of the room and closed the door partway behind him, deciding instead to go see what Youngjae and Yugyeom were laughing about down the hall.

 

. . .

 

Jackson waited another day before he approached Mark again. The older one was still holed up in his room; Youngjae had left to sleep on the couch after angrily mumbling about something the older one did that Jackson couldn't make out but didn't press about. BamBam had left with Yugyeom for while so Jackson saw it fit to try to talk to Mark again.

Mark was turned away from him laying on his stomach on his bed, feet stretched out behind him and one arm holding a pillow snugly under his chest and head while he stared at the wall. Jackson thought he was asleep before he walked over and saw that his eyes were open and staring blankly straight ahead. Jackson felt anxious again. “Mark?”

This time the blond turned his head and looked up at him. “What?”

Jackson shifted his weight on his feet and loosely crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you want to talk about anything?”

Mark looked at him for a moment before he laughed low in his chest. “What's there to talk about, Jackson? Hmm?” He sat up and back on his heels, picking the pillow up and chucking it at the wall toward where Jackson was standing. He barely moved out of the way in time. “Should we talk about how BamBam is ignoring me? Should we talk about how everyone is degrading us? Or, and here's my favorite one, should we talk about how fans are attacking me on social media and telling me to drop my friends? Take your pick, Jackson. I have all day!” Mark threw his hands up as he said the last part, a chilling, furious grin on his lips.

Jackson uncrossed his arms and held his hands up in front of them. “Mark, take a breath and calm down for a second.”

“I don't need to calm down!” Mark was yelling now as he stood up and got into Jackson's face. “I couldn't be more calm if I tried! Everything is just fine! The trip went exactly as I wanted it to. I was hoping to get in trouble with our managers and fans and have one of my best friends ignore me. I couldn't... be more fine.” He started to get choked up and Jackson could see tears forming in his eyes. Then all at once, Mark's facade crumbled and all that was left was a broken man standing before him. “How am I supposed to fix this?”

Jackson stepped forward then and took the blond into his arms, tucking his head down to rest on his shoulder. “You don't fix it. This isn't your fault.”

“Yes, it is...” Mark's voice was muffled by his shoulder but Jackson could still hear him.

“No, its not. Stop blaming yourself. You didn't do anything wrong.” Jackson moved forward and pushed Mark to sit on the bed before kneeling down in front of him. A tear rolled down the blond's face and Jackson's heart broke as he lifted up his hand to wipe it away with his thumb. “There is no way you could have predicted this would happen, and there is no way you could have stopped it either. What happened was out of your control. Do not blame yourself for something like that.”

Mark shook his head lightly and sniffled, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. “But BamBam...”

“BamBam will come around. He can't stay mad at you forever.” Jackson wiped another tear from Mark's face and smiled gently. “Stop crying. Yi En.”

Mark looked at him for a moment before he blinked and a small smile tugged at his lips. “Thank you, Ga Ga.”

Jackson crawled back onto the bed and took Mark into his arms again, letting the older one press his face into his shoulder and cry a little more, his hand gently rubbing up and down his back until he calmed down. After he did, Jackson made him get dressed and dragged him out for ice cream with him. He saw traces of a genuine smile back on his friend's face again, and it brought him some comfort that everything would turn out alright.


End file.
